March 16, 2008

Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Sweeps Lincoln Memorial, 2-1 And 6-2, In South Atlantic Conference Opener Sunday

Senior Meredith O’Connor strikes out 18, picking up two wins on the day

Hickory, N.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne College Softball Team (24-8, 2-0) swept a doubleheader with Lincoln Memorial University (19-8, 0-2), 2-1 and 6-2, Sunday afternoon at Bears Field. The series was the South Atlantic Conference opener for both squads.

Game One – Lenoir-Rhyne 2, Lincoln Memorial 1
Lenoir-Rhyne broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth when junior second baseman Noel Belk (Charlotte, N.C./Queens Univ.) hit a one-out single down the left field line scoring freshman Chelsea Elmore (Belmont, N.C./South Point HS).

Lincoln Memorial responded in the seventh frame to tie the game at one when Alisa Burk (Blaine, Wash.) hit a solo home run to left field.

The Bears retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning to clinch the game when sophomore right fielder Brittany Cherry (Myrtle Beach, S.C./Carolina Forest HS) singled to left field, scoring redshirt freshman shortstop Kat Rivers (Royston, Ga./Franklin County HS) from second base.

Senior Meredith O’Connor (Charlotte, N.C./Appalachian State Univ.) (13-5) went the distance in the win for L-R, scattering two hits among eight strike outs while Sara Henn (Kettering, Ohio) (5-2) was credited with the loss.

Box Score

Game Two – Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Lincoln Memorial 2
L-R jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning with three hits in the frame highlighted by a RBI double by Rivers. The Bears added another run in the fourth to push the lead to 4-0, when senior left fielder Jessica Luper (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill HS) doubled to left field, scoring Rivers.

LMU added two runs in the sixth before Lenoir-Rhyne answered with two runs of their own to make the final score 6-2. Senior Michelle Smith’s (Rockingham, N.C./Louisburg Community College) two-run home run gave the Bears the winning margin.

O’Connor (14-5) garnered her second complete-game victory of the day striking out 10 while Amanda Wampler (Powell, Tenn.) (6-4) suffered the loss for LMU.

Box Score

Lenoir-Rhyne returns to Bears Field on Wednesday for a matchup against SAC provisional member Brevard at 2:00 p.m.